OTTAWA — Senator Larry Campbell, while acting within ethics guidelines, has put himself in a clear “appearance” of being in a conflict of interest by accepting a post as adviser to a Vancouver company breaking into the medical marijuana business, say ethics experts.

The former Vancouver mayor was named Tuesday to an “advisory board” for Vodis Innovative Pharmaceuticals Inc., along with ex-Conservative MP John Reynolds, once one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s most high-profile allies.

Vodis, which is seeking Health Canada approval to market medical marijuana, said both were brought on due to their business expertise and not because of any real or perceived political influence.

“It’s just because of (their) credibility,” said Vodis chief financial officer Brian Gusko.

But three frequent commentators on government ethics said the appointment of Campbell, who like all senators earns a base salary of $138,700, could make Canadians wonder if he has divided loyalties.

The fact that the company hand-picked one of B.C.’s best-known and most influential Conservatives, as well as Liberal appointee in Campbell, suggests the company is trying to cover its bases in case there’s a change of government in 2015, they said.

“This would appear to be the purchasing of access,” said Richard Leblanc, associate professor of law, governance and ethics at York University in Toronto. “It’s an enormous conflict of interest.”

Spokesmen for two ethics watchdog groups, Democracy Watch and Integrity B.C., said Campbell is acting within Senate rules, which they have criticized as too loose.

They said an argument can be made that it’s ethical for senators and ordinary MPs to maintain an interest in family companies after their election or appointment, as long as they recuse themselves from votes that affect the interest of those investments.

But the Vodis appointment stands out because it is a new company that will require federal government approvals to proceed.

“It’s different when you are going to become part of a new venture where very clearly you are being appointed to that board not only for your potential expertise but also because of your position and the influence you might have.”

As well, if the Liberals take power in 2015 the company could be in a position to expand if marijuana is legalized and Vodis decides to tap that new market, they noted.

In an interview, Campbell said he’s been working for several months on contract to help Vodis get established, and said his main objective is to get the company a listing on the TSX.

He said his remuneration as a member of the advisory committee will be in the form of stock options to buy up to 250,000 Vodis shares at 40 cents apiece — roughly the current price on the Canadian Securities Exchange, which services primarily junior and emerging public firms.

Campbell said he will not approach Health Canada to lobby for the company, and he dismissed any suggestion that he has influence with Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

“The Liberal party has nothing to do with me. They don’t talk to me, I don’t talk to them,” he said, pointing to Trudeau’s decision earlier this year to boot senators out of the Liberal caucus.

He dismissed the notion that he’s in a conflict.

“If they think that, it’s perfectly their right to believe that. That’s fine. But I don’t have to agree,” he said. “If anyone has followed me over the years, they would certainly know how ridiculous that is. I’ve been advocating this position (to end marijuana prohibition) for well over 20 years. It’s common knowledge. And it’s common knowledge how I would vote.”

But he said if he’s still with Vodis when and if legislation is introduced to decriminalize or legalize pot, he’d consider recusing himself.

The National Post earlier this year singled out Campbell and several other senators in an analysis of Canada’s 91 senators and their outside business interests.

It said they were among more than a third of senators who were holding positions on either public or private boards of directors. Among those cited as being particularly active were a dozen senators who pocketed at least $8.25 million over a decade from public companies with which they served as directors.

They included Campbell, fellow Liberal appointees Pana Merchant of Saskatchewan and James Cowan of Nova Scotia, and Conservative appointees Larry Smith of Montreal and the suspended Pamela Wallin of Saskatchewan.

Campbell told The Sun Wednesday that he averages about $125,000 a year in remuneration relating to his role as board member of the Great Canadian Gaming Corp., and another $36,000 annually through his private investigative firm, Mortis Consulting Ltd.

He is also listed as on the board of directors of Asantae, which markets nutritional products, and Ecoasis, a land development firm. Campbell said he has not been involved with Asantae for close to a year and there has been no meeting of Ecoasis panel. Both positions, he said, were advisory with no remuneration of any kind.

Campbell appears to be the most active of the five B.C. senators in terms of private sector involvement.

Liberal Senator Mobina Jaffer lists herself as a partner of the Vancouver law firm Dohm Jaffer & Jeraj, while Conservative Nancy Greene Raine lists her business interests at the Sun Peaks ski resort that she and her husband held before her appointment.

Conservatives Yonah Martin and Richard Neufeld didn’t list any income-producing outside business interests. Neufeld does cite ownership of an undisclosed number of shares worth at least $10,000, in B.B.C.P. Conductor Inc., which does energy research.

Senator Larry Campbell dismisses suggestions he is in conflict of interest

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